The festival is regarded by Russian authorities as the most important international propaganda event since the Sochi Olympics.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the Bid Committee of the XIX World Festival of Youth and Students on February 18th and shared his vision concerning the main goal of the event:

Russia has repeatedly held the international forums, and has proven that can do it at the highest level. However, “To create conditions for the participants of this major event is important, but that is not enough,” said Vladimir Putin. ”It is important to fill it with the best, interesting content, build discussions and activities that you will be planning in such way, that it could contribute to the achievement of the objectives for which those activities are held”

The Conference convener World Federation of Democratic Youth started in the late 1940s as a Soviet-controlled front promoting Soviet foreign policy goals… whether to go with détente and arms control or support for Third World terrorist movements. In recent years, the organization has been mainly steered by Greek and Cuban communists.